May 2017

The Petralona Hoard

Petralona Hoard. Copyright ΥΠΠΟΑ

The "Petralona Hoard" consists of bronze tools (forty chisels and four axes) and dates to the Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium BC). It is a rare find that came to light by chance near the village of Petralona in Chalkidice.

The fact that all artefacts are of exceptional technical quality and bear traces of use and wear denotes that they possibly belonged to a metalworker and/or merchant, who could sharpen them and then return them to their owners or resell them.

The Petralona Hoard clearly displays the advanced technological level reached by metalworking in the Early Bronze Age, which is also attested by other finds in Macedonia and the rest of Greece. The circulation of metal objects and the presence of types found throughout the Aegean and the Balkan peninsula show the existence of a strong technological tradition and active exchange networks.